The Ballot For The 2018 Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 46 Is Open

In its first five years the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 sportive has established itself as one of the best mass-participation cycling events in the world, thanks in part to shutting down large swathes of central London so riders can enjoy pedalling past iconic buildings without dodging black cabs and the like. So it’s no surprise that it is hugely oversubscribed every year, and the odds are if you entered the ballot for the event last August, you ended up disappointed. Fortunately, that was not your only shot to ride some of the route this year.

Like the 100-mile event, the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 46 also takes place on Sunday 29th July and, as you’ve probably guessed, is a 46-mile (74km) ride around the capital and Surrey. Although not quite as popular as the 100-mile sportive, RideLondon-Surrey 46 is still oversubscribed and you have to enter a ballot to have a chance of riding in it. That ballot opened on 4th May and will close at 5pm on Friday 11th May or when there have been 18,000 entries, with winners informed shortly afterwards. Entry to the ballot costs £46, and you can throw your name into the hat at prudentialridelondon.co.uk.

RideLondon-Surrey 46 follows the same route as the 100-mile event for the first 27 miles of the course, before splitting off and following a separate two-mile section before joining the final 17 miles of the 100-mile route, including the grandstand finish on The Mall. The 46-mile and 100-mile rides are both part of the RideLondon cycling festival which runs from 27th to 29th July.

See related

How To Train For A 100-Mile Sportive

How To Fuel For A 100-Mile Sportive

UK Cycling Events For 2018

The RideLondon-Surrey 100 Ballot

To enter the 2018 edition of RideLondon-Surrey 100 you had to sign up for the ballot, which ran on 7th August 2017 until Friday 5th January 2018. Those who were successful in the ballot were told by Wednesday 7th February 2018. Entry to the 100-mile event ballot cost £69, the same price as for the 2017 event. You could choose to donate the £69 if you didn’t get a spot in the race, which would not only have been very generous on your part, but afforded you an extra chance of getting a spot in the sportive as there were 1,000 places for people who donated their fee but didn’t get a place in the original ballot. These were chosen via another, smaller ballot.

If you failed to secure a place in the 100-mile event via the ballot there is the option to ride for a charity. There are listings for all the charities that have places in the RideLondon sportives on the event website.

There is more incentive than ever to complete the RideLondon-Surrey 100 sportive nowadays, thanks to the establishment of the London Classics. Finish this 100-mile ride, plus the London Marathon and the two-mile event at Swim Serpentine, and you’ll earn a special medal. And who doesn’t want a special medal?